A refurbishment firm based in Leicestershire has been fined by Loughborough Magistrates Court after reportedly exposing the public and its workers to hazardous asbestos.

Shengxuan Company Ltd was involved in converting a Castle Donington shop into a restaurant in June last year when the danger was discovered. A random passer-by, who happened to have experience in proper asbestos disposal, noticed that the workers on the site were dumping the hazardous material into a skip.

The issue was reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which investigated and found that the refurbishment firm had made the dangers of asbestos clear to workers. The owners of Shengxuan Company Ltd also failed to ensure that workers were provided with the right occupational health and safety training.

A Prohibition Notice was served on the site, therefore stopping all work until improvements could be made. The company has now been fined Â£4,000 and ordered to pay court costs of Â£2,100 for putting peopleâ€™s lives and health in danger.

Sam Russell, an inspector for the HSE, commented:

“The company had a duty to protect its employees and the public from exposure to asbestos, yet failed in that duty.

“The latest health and safety statistics show that more people are dying as a result of asbestos related diseases than are killed in accidents at work. This situation will not change unless organisations take their duty to manage asbestos seriously.”